to think that it's unacceptable to frighten someone's DC even if you think they're a nasty bigot?

[OTheHugeManatee]

I just saw this story about protesters forcing Nigel Farage and his family out of a pub where they were having lunch.

I don't really like Farage's politics. But I support his democratic right to hold those views. AIBU to think hounding him and frightening his DC during a family lunch is unacceptable, illiberal and frankly nasty, whatever you think of the things he says?

Yanbu even though I disagree with everything farage stands.for.

He deserves it...

Lots of victim blaming going on here...

They were protesting in a public place though, how did they force him to leave? Were they attacking him or did he just not want the hassle on a family day out and left of his own free will? Scum is a very strong word if they didn't attack him and were peacefully protesting against a public figure, that's a cornerstone of democracy too.
am I reading that correctly? did he really leave his kids behind

I think it's completely unacceptable, but I don't believe his version of it. I expect he wants a police escort in future to make himself feel important.

If he's worried about his daughter being afraid, he should take a long hard look at hisparty's policies regarding women. If they ever get any power, she's got a lot to be frightened of.

I know the pub he was in, it is small enough that a large number of people coming in with the intention of heckling anyone would be intimidating . We often go to the pub, with our child, on Sundays. I am glad we were not there this week.

YANBU.

Unfortunately the level of intemperate debate about UKIP in the media and even on here in MN makes this kind of thing inevitable. It's the natural real world consequence of calling Ukip fascist and racist for completely reasonable policies like points based immigration. People enjoy whipping themselves up into a frenzy and the result is these idiots surrounding Farage's car in a mob.

It is completely and utterly out of hand. The people involved in this should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves.

Nigel Farage is a racist little bigot, and he should expect people to exercise their democratic right to protest against his vile views. He deserves it.

His kids, however, do not. No politician is fair game when they are accompanied by young children. The kids cannot help having an arse as a father.

Yanbu.

I'm still stunned that he said the girls ran off to hide and he and their Mum got in a car a buggered off leaving them.

Dawndonna I don't care if his kids left by the back door with another adult, and what they did or didn't see. It's still completely unacceptable to disrupt anyone's private family occasion simply because you don't like their opinions. The fact is that his poor kids had to be hustled out of the back door by a relative in the middle of Sunday lunch because some people don't like some opinions Farage has mentioned.

In case anyone missed that, we're talking about opinions here, not actual crimes. Farage hasn't done anything wrong. When did it become okay to harass someone's family because their opinions aren't to your taste? Is that really the new morality some of us have signed up to?

I think this is really important, and really concerning. People are fond of quoting Niemöller 'First they came for the Jews...' against Farage. But what if the scary ones are actually those who believe it's okay to intimidate someone in the middle of Sunday lunch, so much so that he sends his kids off with a relative, because they don't like his opinions? When the idea becomes mainstream that extreme measures are permissible against people simply because of opinions, don't we end up somewhere pretty dictatorial and creepy pretty quickly?

I hope I'm overreacting here. But in all kinds of contexts - not just this one - I feel as though our country is sleepwalking into a kind of highly moralised authoritarianism that is radically at odds with our traditions of free speech. It freaks the hell out of me.

the protester I saw seemed young student types.

even if his dc werent there, awful behaviour.

the protester I saw seemed young student types.

even if his dc werent there, awful behaviour.

He didn't say he sent his kids off with a relative in the article linked to in the op, he says his kids ran off to hide and he sent a relative back later who found them, that's more shocking to me than the protestor's actions. He is either a liar or a very questionable parent. I hope its the former.
The youngest girl is only 10, what kind of parents would scarper and leave a 10 yr old behind?

YANBU OP. So wrong.

Dawndonna I don't care if his kids left by the back door with another adult, and what they did or didn't see.
And if, as some suggest, his children weren't there at all?

When did it become okay to harass someone's family because their opinions aren't to your taste? Is that really the new morality some of us have signed up to?
Farage, morality...

People are fond of quoting Niemöller 'First they came for the Jews...' against Farage

See above.

I dont understand Dawn, are you saying it is ok to go after him like this, with a baying lynch mob when he is out with his family?

I think "baying lynch mob" is a bit much personally. Annoying muppets certainly. There was a woman with a baby of about 18 months not looking in the slightest bit upset by it.

Not that it was OK to spoil his lunch when he was off duty, but just let's not pretend he was carjacked at gunpoint.

OTheHugeManatee I agree with you - it scares me too.

Dawn Don't vote for him if you don't like him.

And those who think he deserves this...are there others that you think deserve to be attacked because you don't like their views? How many others? Why bother with elections and debate at all - let's just lynch anyone we don't agree with because we are right.
Remember everyone thinks they are right - what is scary is when they believe that being right gives them permission to do what they want. (ISIS? Nazis, Klu Klux Klan, - all absolutely believe they are right and that the "others" deserve what they get.)

I think they were climbing on the bonnet of his car. I'd be pretty frightened if people were doing that to me.

He had similar treatment in Scotland a couple of years ago, except that then he had to barricade himself inside the pub until the police could help him escape. But no wife and kids on hand for that.

Big own goal for the anti Farage protestors I think, which is a shame as I can't stand him. It reminds me a bit of when the anti student fees protestors attacked Prince Charles and Camilla in their car - that turned a lot of people I know against them. Completely counter productive behaviour.

Go and Google Mary Turner and see if you still think "lynching" is an appropriate term to use for some idiots in fancy dress heckling an off-duty politician.

I dont understand what happened to his kids. He drove off and left them there?

Shame that the protestors have scored an own goal, they have an important point to make, shame that they went about it like this.